Lunacid feels like a game that doesn't exist. With the cosmic horror/dark fantasy-inspired environments, Playstation 1 graphical style, and haunting but sometimes slamming music, Lunacid oozes a style out of this world. Every second I spent exploring the vast and rich depths of the Great Well, I absolutely LOVED IT. There are some minor caveats with the experience, and depending on your level of competency/insanity, a couple of things might reduce the impact of the world. To me, however, Lunacid is a lightning-in-a-bottle experience BECAUSE of its flaws, not in spite of them.
The game begins with our body being dropped into the Great Well, apparently for being a thief, before we are given our character creation menu. Everything besides the class is superfluous and is only there to help ground the player within the world, which I can vibe with. There are nine classes, all of which have different starting stats and some even come with special effects or events attached to them. The stats are Strength, Defense, Speed, Dexterity, Intelligence, and Resistance. Strength affects melee damage as well as max HP. Defense affects how much a player can guard before a block is broken...also max HP. Speed is max run speed. Dexterity is jump height and ranged damage. Intelligence is max MP, spell damage, and spell cast time. And finally, Resistance is how long status effects take to wear off. As you play, the player will gain XP from killing enemies and each level gives a couple of skill points that can be allocated into any of the stats. Other than Resistance, all other stats were pretty useful and fun to build around. While most other games have simple number changes, the ability to increase your jump height and run speed is not only integral to play but also gives the player an incredibly tangible difference to play with from the start to the end of the game. On top of that, the added benefits compound, letting the player access hidden areas or routes in previously explored places giving a new sense of wonder and intrigue. Beyond just flat stat increases, the game has three different types of weapons you can obtain: Melee, Ranged, and Magic. Melee is the most abundant of the three, in my whole playthrough I found very few ranged items and barely any real useful spells. That's not to say that ranged or magic is useless or unusable though, each piece of the puzzle was crafted pretty well and flows seamlessly in the combat experience, it's just a shame that most of the useful stuff outside of regular melee is found so late unless you seriously search for it.
That combat experience is done through two slots for melee/ranged, two magic ring slots, and up to five types of quick items. Melee/ranged attacks can be charged up to deal more damage or be more accurate in the ranged's case. On the other hand, spells take time to cast, requiring you to hold down the corresponding key for a certain spell slot until it is ready to activate and be used. Only one quick item can be in hand at a time, rotating in a set of five when you so choose. On top of all of this, spells and regular attacks can have elemental properties such as Normal, Fire, Ice, Poison, Light, Dark, and Blood. Most melee/ranged deal normal damage, but depending on the enemy that won't be effective so you'll need other types of elemental damages as you move through the game. Very luckily, the routing through the world has you stumbling upon elemental weaponry pretty close to when you need it or during the section it is needed. On the other side, enemies can deal different kinds of status effects, namely Poison, Bleeding, Burning, Curse, Blind, Slow, Mana Drain, and even XP Drain. So all of this sounds really good and fun, right? Well, that's where the first real issue comes in depending on who you are. Combat is really slow. It's the kind of slow that is nigh essential to the gameplay experience but also so deeply embedded in the core feel that getting rid of it would change the game entirely. But I can't outright say that the game doesn't feel somewhat sluggish to play when fighting enemies. It does feel janky, and it does feel weird. The jank affects your attacks, both normal and magic, as well as most enemies whose attacks and hitboxes are bizarre. And the blocking system is the cherry on top. When you press block, you enter a blocking state where if hit enough times, your block is broken and you take damage. Seems simple enough, but it gets a little weird when trying to actively utilize it in combat, especially against bosses. At times, it really just doesn't work very well, whether that's because attacks go right through the guard or because you are hit through the guard with status effects. The whole thing is a weird amalgamated mess of percentages and systems that jank right into the already somewhat janky combat.
The really juicy part of Lunacid is not in its combat though, if the game was just the combat, it wouldn't be nearly as good. Exploration is the bread and butter of this experience and Lunacid does so much to make it feel as rewarding and just downright interesting as possible. Every area is completely unique from one another, leading to a vast world full of different kinds of vibes, but even still nothing feels out of place as it flows wonderfully from area to area. Even at the times when the game is actively trying to get you lost (and boy, does it try at times), that feeling of being lost in the dark or in a dangerous land keeps you on your toes and makes the actual exploring really fun. From hidden walls to hidden loot, the world is hostile and doesn't give handouts, but that makes it so much more engaging to try and find your way around the at times labyrinthine-level design. Which might I add, is wonderfully structured in all areas. No stone was left unfilled in this adventure, making each new visit to a prior location just as potentially rewarding as the first. When combined with the unique and downright confusing puzzle design, it can lead to incredibly lengthy personal journeys spent delving into depths unexplored and vast stretches of seemingly empty voids to find solutions so unexpected yet intuitive I simply can't help but want another. But to be fair, the puzzles are another one of the said caveats in the design. Again, completely integral to the core, but many puzzles go from confusing to downright despair-inducing when the search for the solution ravels ever onward for potential hours on end. I found not too much issue with the puzzles at hand, but I can very easily see someone getting lost and confused over a puzzle mechanic that was not once taught to the player, yet expected to be understood. I wholeheartedly recommend trying to beat the game without a guide, but keep one close by if you find a certain puzzle to be unfortunately too unorthodox.
Lastly, I just wanna GUSH over the atmosphere of Lunacid. I already made it pretty clear before but it has a rich and vibrant style oozing from a game that feels unreal. Each corner of the Great Well feels like it stumbled out of a piece of concept art for some other grand RPG that I would have never seen otherwise. I'd pick out some personal favorites, but that would be like choosing a favorite kid when each unique environment has its own interesting flavor of cosmic fantasy terror. Combined with a soundtrack that feels half ripped from a Silent Hill game and half ripped from a "PSX Jungle/Breakcore/Lo-Fi Beats" video, I can't help but find this eclectic mish-mash of differing styles to do an incredible job accentuating each area's personalized flavor that much more. Rather than gameplay or story, this is one game that you simply have to experience for its masterful artistry and beautifully haunting music.
Speaking of story, there is a little to chew on, but like many FromSoft-inspired pies, it's light at first glance, but heavy in sub-text and hidden away actual text. I found the characters to be pretty charming and fun, especially in a world so desperately cruel feeling. And while the conclusion felt a little on the rushed side, the narrative at least gives enough puzzle pieces to the average player to make a picture that they can take with them forever onward. I really can't say much else, the narrative here was enjoyable but I am not a lore-master. Also, lots of parallels to Dark Souls...Obviously. Take of that what you will.
Lunacid is a game so unbelievably conceited that it was designed to exactly craft such a specific experience that every piece of its flawed puzzle was on purpose. I LOVE IT. Without being concerned about whether or not a certain piece could or could not be improved or changed, it instead serves the greater goal of giving a game that is wholly unique, inherently interesting, and completely unreal. From the janky combat to the over-the-top puzzles, the flaws are about as necessary to the core as the incredible world design and utterly impeccable art direction. Lunacid is not a perfect game, but all the better for it. Go play it, and get an unforgettable gaming experience that will persist with you until you wake up. Go forth Dreamer, seeketh the dreamscape.
The game begins with our body being dropped into the Great Well, apparently for being a thief, before we are given our character creation menu. Everything besides the class is superfluous and is only there to help ground the player within the world, which I can vibe with. There are nine classes, all of which have different starting stats and some even come with special effects or events attached to them. The stats are Strength, Defense, Speed, Dexterity, Intelligence, and Resistance. Strength affects melee damage as well as max HP. Defense affects how much a player can guard before a block is broken...also max HP. Speed is max run speed. Dexterity is jump height and ranged damage. Intelligence is max MP, spell damage, and spell cast time. And finally, Resistance is how long status effects take to wear off. As you play, the player will gain XP from killing enemies and each level gives a couple of skill points that can be allocated into any of the stats. Other than Resistance, all other stats were pretty useful and fun to build around. While most other games have simple number changes, the ability to increase your jump height and run speed is not only integral to play but also gives the player an incredibly tangible difference to play with from the start to the end of the game. On top of that, the added benefits compound, letting the player access hidden areas or routes in previously explored places giving a new sense of wonder and intrigue. Beyond just flat stat increases, the game has three different types of weapons you can obtain: Melee, Ranged, and Magic. Melee is the most abundant of the three, in my whole playthrough I found very few ranged items and barely any real useful spells. That's not to say that ranged or magic is useless or unusable though, each piece of the puzzle was crafted pretty well and flows seamlessly in the combat experience, it's just a shame that most of the useful stuff outside of regular melee is found so late unless you seriously search for it.
That combat experience is done through two slots for melee/ranged, two magic ring slots, and up to five types of quick items. Melee/ranged attacks can be charged up to deal more damage or be more accurate in the ranged's case. On the other hand, spells take time to cast, requiring you to hold down the corresponding key for a certain spell slot until it is ready to activate and be used. Only one quick item can be in hand at a time, rotating in a set of five when you so choose. On top of all of this, spells and regular attacks can have elemental properties such as Normal, Fire, Ice, Poison, Light, Dark, and Blood. Most melee/ranged deal normal damage, but depending on the enemy that won't be effective so you'll need other types of elemental damages as you move through the game. Very luckily, the routing through the world has you stumbling upon elemental weaponry pretty close to when you need it or during the section it is needed. On the other side, enemies can deal different kinds of status effects, namely Poison, Bleeding, Burning, Curse, Blind, Slow, Mana Drain, and even XP Drain. So all of this sounds really good and fun, right? Well, that's where the first real issue comes in depending on who you are. Combat is really slow. It's the kind of slow that is nigh essential to the gameplay experience but also so deeply embedded in the core feel that getting rid of it would change the game entirely. But I can't outright say that the game doesn't feel somewhat sluggish to play when fighting enemies. It does feel janky, and it does feel weird. The jank affects your attacks, both normal and magic, as well as most enemies whose attacks and hitboxes are bizarre. And the blocking system is the cherry on top. When you press block, you enter a blocking state where if hit enough times, your block is broken and you take damage. Seems simple enough, but it gets a little weird when trying to actively utilize it in combat, especially against bosses. At times, it really just doesn't work very well, whether that's because attacks go right through the guard or because you are hit through the guard with status effects. The whole thing is a weird amalgamated mess of percentages and systems that jank right into the already somewhat janky combat.
The really juicy part of Lunacid is not in its combat though, if the game was just the combat, it wouldn't be nearly as good. Exploration is the bread and butter of this experience and Lunacid does so much to make it feel as rewarding and just downright interesting as possible. Every area is completely unique from one another, leading to a vast world full of different kinds of vibes, but even still nothing feels out of place as it flows wonderfully from area to area. Even at the times when the game is actively trying to get you lost (and boy, does it try at times), that feeling of being lost in the dark or in a dangerous land keeps you on your toes and makes the actual exploring really fun. From hidden walls to hidden loot, the world is hostile and doesn't give handouts, but that makes it so much more engaging to try and find your way around the at times labyrinthine-level design. Which might I add, is wonderfully structured in all areas. No stone was left unfilled in this adventure, making each new visit to a prior location just as potentially rewarding as the first. When combined with the unique and downright confusing puzzle design, it can lead to incredibly lengthy personal journeys spent delving into depths unexplored and vast stretches of seemingly empty voids to find solutions so unexpected yet intuitive I simply can't help but want another. But to be fair, the puzzles are another one of the said caveats in the design. Again, completely integral to the core, but many puzzles go from confusing to downright despair-inducing when the search for the solution ravels ever onward for potential hours on end. I found not too much issue with the puzzles at hand, but I can very easily see someone getting lost and confused over a puzzle mechanic that was not once taught to the player, yet expected to be understood. I wholeheartedly recommend trying to beat the game without a guide, but keep one close by if you find a certain puzzle to be unfortunately too unorthodox.
Lastly, I just wanna GUSH over the atmosphere of Lunacid. I already made it pretty clear before but it has a rich and vibrant style oozing from a game that feels unreal. Each corner of the Great Well feels like it stumbled out of a piece of concept art for some other grand RPG that I would have never seen otherwise. I'd pick out some personal favorites, but that would be like choosing a favorite kid when each unique environment has its own interesting flavor of cosmic fantasy terror. Combined with a soundtrack that feels half ripped from a Silent Hill game and half ripped from a "PSX Jungle/Breakcore/Lo-Fi Beats" video, I can't help but find this eclectic mish-mash of differing styles to do an incredible job accentuating each area's personalized flavor that much more. Rather than gameplay or story, this is one game that you simply have to experience for its masterful artistry and beautifully haunting music.
Speaking of story, there is a little to chew on, but like many FromSoft-inspired pies, it's light at first glance, but heavy in sub-text and hidden away actual text. I found the characters to be pretty charming and fun, especially in a world so desperately cruel feeling. And while the conclusion felt a little on the rushed side, the narrative at least gives enough puzzle pieces to the average player to make a picture that they can take with them forever onward. I really can't say much else, the narrative here was enjoyable but I am not a lore-master. Also, lots of parallels to Dark Souls...Obviously. Take of that what you will.
Lunacid is a game so unbelievably conceited that it was designed to exactly craft such a specific experience that every piece of its flawed puzzle was on purpose. I LOVE IT. Without being concerned about whether or not a certain piece could or could not be improved or changed, it instead serves the greater goal of giving a game that is wholly unique, inherently interesting, and completely unreal. From the janky combat to the over-the-top puzzles, the flaws are about as necessary to the core as the incredible world design and utterly impeccable art direction. Lunacid is not a perfect game, but all the better for it. Go play it, and get an unforgettable gaming experience that will persist with you until you wake up. Go forth Dreamer, seeketh the dreamscape.